Welcome to the Camtree Digital Library
The Camtree Digital Library publishes peer-reviewed research reports produced by educators from around the world. Library content is freely available to all readers.
Camtree supports educators to reflect on their practice and conduct research to improve learning in their own contexts and organisations, through its website at https://www.camtree.org. Camtree is based at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.
Recent Submissions
Item Empowering Self-Leadership and Social-Emotional Growth Through Drama: A Life Competencies-Focused Lesson Study in a Bilingual Grade 7 Curriculum(2025)Context: This lesson study was conducted at Mile Bilingual School in Milan, Italy, focusing on developing life competencies among a Grade 7 class of 20 bilingual students during drama lessons. It was part of a broader initiative by ISP to integrate essential life competencies into the curriculum. Aims: The primary goal was to foster self-leadership and interpersonal skills within the curriculum, allowing students to enhance their well-being, build confidence, and develop social-emotional skills. The project originally planned for three lessons ultimately required more sessions to fully address the complexities of the themes involved. Methods: Ground rules for respectful dialogue were established to create a supportive learning environment. A diverse array of teaching methodologies was implemented, including discussions, debates, reflective activities, and role-play exercises, as a part of a sequence of research lessons. Findings: The lesson study revealed that students engaged positively in discussions and role-plays, showcasing their understanding of well-being and leadership. Case students displayed varying levels of confidence and capability in articulating their learning, with insights gained from group interactions indicating personal growth. Reflective practices including post-lesson interviews confirmed that the activities helped students develop applicable life skills and fostered an enjoyable learning atmosphere. Implications: The outcomes suggest that integrating life skills such as self-leadership and interpersonal dynamics into the curriculum can enhance student engagement and personal development. Future projects may benefit from extended time for exploration and reflection, emphasizing the intertwined nature of life competencies and subject knowledge. The study highlights the potential for enriching students' academic experiences through innovative teaching approaches that address both academic and personal growth.Item Helping students in 7th grade to develop interpersonal skills in the context of writing and speaking in A2 level English(2025)Context: This study was conducted at Liceo Panamericano Internacional, Samborondón, Ecuador, in 2024. It involved a group of teachers from different sections of the school, focusing on a 7th-grade mixed-ability class with 27 students. The research was part of a broader initiative by the ISP-Camtree Partnership Project, which aimed to explore strategies for developing and assessing life competencies in education. Aims: The study aimed to help 7th-grade students develop interpersonal skills within the context of writing and speaking in A2-level English. The focus was on improving students’ abilities to structure spoken and written text, take on different roles, and participate in public speaking. Additionally, the research sought to foster teamwork and empathy, addressing the tendency of high-achieving students to exclude lower-level peers. The main research question was: "How can we help students in 7th grade to develop interpersonal skills in the context of writing and speaking to create dialogues or conversations at A2 level?" Methods: A research lesson study approach was used, involving three structured lessons with predefined learning and competency outcomes. The lessons included collaborative tasks such as structuring sentences, expressing preferences, and articulating choices with reasoning. Case studies of three students with different English proficiency levels (high-achiever, average, and struggling learner) were used to track progress. Student interviews and teacher observations provided qualitative data on learning outcomes and engagement. Adjustments were made after each lesson based on reflections and student feedback. Findings: Students demonstrated varying levels of progress in both curriculum learning and life competencies. The high-achieving student showed strong academic skills but initially lacked teamwork abilities. The average student improved in confidence and leadership within group work. The struggling student, though still facing difficulties, became more engaged when assigned a defined role in group tasks. Structured roles and collaborative activities encouraged participation and improved self-regulation. Time management remained a challenge, and some students still struggled with fully assuming their roles. Implications: The study highlights the benefits of structured group work in fostering both language skills and interpersonal competencies. Assigning roles within groups helped students feel included and responsible for their contributions. Teachers may find it useful to integrate students’ interests into lessons to enhance engagement. Additionally, differentiated activities can challenge high-achievers while supporting weaker learners. The research also suggests that ongoing reflection and self-evaluation can encourage students to take greater ownership of their learning and social interactions.Item 人工智能助推“城市交通与土地利用”课程教学 AI-Enhanced Teaching of Urban Transportation and Land Use(2025)Context: This study was conducted within an advanced undergraduate course, Urban Transportation and Land Use, at Peking University. The course examines how transport systems and land use influence each other, and how this relationship affects urban development, sustainability, and equity. Given the technical nature of the course—requiring model building, data analysis, and programming—large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT were introduced to help students understand complex concepts and technical methods. Aims: The project aimed to examine how AI tools could enhance student learning in this domain, focusing on: (1) which parts of the learning process benefited from LLM support; (2) where the tools are limited; and (3) whether the use of AI creates confusion or distractions. Methods: In the Fall 2023 semester, LLMs were integrated into two major homework assignments on transport modelling and land use analysis. Students were asked to use tools like ChatGPT or Baidu Ernie Bot, and reflected on the process, including prompt design, comparisons between AI and manual outputs, and classroom discussions. Instructors collected and analysed these reflections to evaluate the role of AI tools in learning. Findings: Students generally found LLMs useful for understanding concepts, exploring modeling methods, and especially for coding and debugging. In the homeworks, AI tools improved efficiency in handling repetitive data tasks. However, they were less effective with “local” data or facts, and sometimes produced inaccurate or made-up results in tasks like image generation. Implications: The study shows that AI tools can reduce barriers in technically demanding courses and support both theoretical and practical learning. It also suggests that instructors should design assignments to distinguish between tasks suitable for AI support and those requiring independent thinking.Item Improving Students’ Analytical Writing Skills Through Effective Questioning Strategies in Chemistry Lessons(2025)Background and purpose: This study explores how effective questioning strategies can improve analytical writing skills among Year 11 and 12 students at Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Uralsk, Kazakhstan. Analytical writing is essential for success in the external summative assessment, which aligns with international CIE Cambridge A-level standards. These assessments require advanced skills in reasoning, evaluation, and writing well-structured responses, areas where students often face challenges. Given the importance of preparing students to succeed in these assessments, the study focuses on addressing skill gaps and fostering the competencies necessary for academic success. Aims: The study specifically focuses on how effective questioning techniques can enhance students’ abilities to analyse, plan, write well-reasoned conclusions, and evaluate information effectively. The primary objective of this study is to prepare students for the demands of external summative assessments. Study design or methodology: This study was conducted during 2023-2024 academic year with eight Year 11 students (aged 16-17), through collaboration between Chemistry and English language teachers. Lessons integrated CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) strategies to build subject knowledge alongside analytical writing skills. Data collection included summative assessments, teacher observations, and student feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of questioning techniques in improving student readiness for the external summative assessment. Findings: The findings demonstrate that effective questioning strategies significantly enhanced students' skills in planning responses, constructing conclusions, and evaluating information critically. These strategies contributed to improved performance in both short-answer and extended-response tasks, which are integral components of the external summative assessment. The approach also demonstrated potential for broader application across all year level to support long-term academic development. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: This study highlights the importance of effective questioning strategies in preparing students for the external summative assessment. By improving essential skills such as planning, evaluation, and conclusion-writing, the study contributes to the school’s mission of fostering independent learners and critical thinkers. Future work will focus on refining these techniques and providing targeted support for struggling learners, ensuring consistent progress across all year level.Item Gamification in high school computer science: enhancing engagement and critical thinking through lesson study.(2025)Background and Purpose: Traditional teaching struggles to engage students. This study explores gamification as a strategy to boost motivation, participation, and critical thinking in high school computer science. Using Lesson Study, it integrates avatars, challenges, and teamwork to enhance learning. Aims: This study aims to enhance student engagement and motivation through gamification, strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills, optimize task completion rates via interactive learning strategies, and foster collaboration through structured, team-based activities. Methodology: This study followed a three-week Lesson Study cycle with 12 high school students (ages 15–16) at Nazarbayev Intellectual School. Gamification elements, including personalized avatars, level-based challenges, and structured argumentation tables, were integrated into computer science lessons. A mixed-methods approach combined task completion rates, time-on-task records, motivation surveys, classroom observations, and structured reflections to assess engagement and learning outcomes. Engagement was measured through participation tracking and task completion rates, while motivation was evaluated using self-reported Likert scale surveys (1-5). Observational data and teacher feedback provided qualitative insights into student collaboration, problem-solving, and analytical thinking. Data triangulation ensured the validity and reliability of the findings. Findings: Gamification significantly enhanced student engagement, motivation, and collaboration. Engagement levels increased by 15%, with task completion rates rising from 65% to 83%. Motivation scores improved from 3.3 to 4.2 on a five-point scale, while classroom participation grew by 15%, and student satisfaction reached 85%. Observations revealed that structured argumentation tables and team-based challenges improved problem-solving abilities, fostering analytical thinking and independent learning. Students demonstrated greater autonomy in structuring arguments and applying logical reasoning in coding tasks, highlighting the effectiveness of gamification in computer science education. Conclusions and Implications: Gamification has proven to be an effective strategy for enhancing student engagement, motivation, and critical thinking in high school computer science classes. The structured integration of game elements improved task completion rates, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Findings suggest that gamification can serve as a scalable approach to improving learning outcomes, particularly in STEM education. Future research should explore its long-term impact across different subjects and student demographics.
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